Who's On First? Not Mark Teixeira

The Yankees must be wishing Spring Training ended immediately. Perhaps then they could have a half-way healthy lineup to start the season.

With Derek Jeter working his way back from last October's broken ankle, Phil Hughes having to take it easy due to a bulging disc in his back, and Curtis Granderson sidelined with a broken bone in his forearm the Yankees lineup did not need to be depleted any further.  Unfortunately it has been.

Mark Teixeira was forced to leave the US entry in the World Baseball Classic due to a strained right wrist that occurred while he hit off of a tee. The news got worse on Wednesday after the Yankees sent Teixeira up to NYC to get additional testing done. The news was all bad.

Teixeira will be out a minimum of 8-10 weeks with a strained extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon. The Yankees first baseman, who has the fourth most home runs in the American League since he joined the Yankees in 2009, will be completely shut down for a month. Then the work to get back in the lineup begins.

8-10 weeks is probably a conservative estimate; strong wrists are vital to a batter's (especially a power hitter) success at the plate. Nick Swisher would have just shuttled over to first base in years past, but he's in Cleveland now and the Yankees don't have many options.

Brian Cashman always likes to say he'll first look at options within the organization first, but this may be the most limited group he's had to pick from in a while. Here are the possibilities within camp and the possibilities from other organizations. (Hopefully Cashman has lost Nick Johnson's phone number.)

Travis Hafner is strictly a DH; he can't take the physical toll of playing the infield any more.

Juan Rivera played 102 games over the last three years with the Dodgers and Blue Jays, but Cashman told Mike Francesa on Wednesday that he does not consider Rivera an option.

Obviously Kevin Youkilis can play either of the corner positions, but then who fills in at third base? Jayson Nix? Some have already suggested Eduardo Nunez, but the Yankees need to stick to their guns and let him play only shortstop. His confidence on defense isn't great to begin with and they need his bat to not suffer from any defensive shortcomings.

Non-Roster Invitee (NRI) Dan Johnson is a first baseman; one that can't hit. A once promising prospects with the Oakland A's, he' bounced around Japan, the Rays, and White Sox before he accepted an invite to the Yankees' camp. In 71 games over parts of the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Johnson showed some power, but hit below .200. He is NOT the answer.

Another NRI Luke Murton has not played above Double-A, but he did slug 25 home runs for Trenton last year and had a .791 oPS.

The Yankees have been very high on David Adams, their 3rd round draft pick in 2008 and a member of the 40-man roster, but he's been sidelined all of spring training with a bad back. Adams was drafted as a second baseman,but the Yankees converted him to third base. He's also missed parts of the last three years with leg and ankle injuries, so even if he were healthy now he might have him been a long shot at best.

There's slim pickings among the remaining free agents. Aubrey Huff has had an up and down career. From 2002-2006, primarily with Tampa Bay, he averaged about 26 home runs, drove in 100 runs twice and topped the 90 mark once. In 2008 with the O's he slugged 32 and drove in 108. He struggled the following two season before a rebound with the Giants in 2011.

Last season Huff was limited to 52 games in 2012 after he injured his knee during the celebration of Matt Cain's perfect game and some anxiety issues. The 36-year old's splits were just .192/.326/.282, but he still may be worth taking a look at it.

Cashman will also be scouring the transaction wire for players released towards the end of the regular season. He did not rule out a deal for a player that has a higher upside, but he also told Francesa o that any player acquired would need to have defensive flexibility once the injured players return. Where's a Jeff Conine type when you need him? (Francesa was already campaigning for Justin Morneau; perhaps he should remember that Morneau has his own health issues, specifically concussions.)

Another obstacle is the additional playoff team in each league. With more teams in contention for a playoff spot, teams will hold onto players (e.g. potential free agents) longer than they used to.

The feeling here is that the Yankees will go with a low key solution and will only make a bigger deal if Granderson and/or Teixeira are out for much longer than expected.

Nick Johnson, The New Face of Operation

Yankees GM Brian Cashman had to have his doubts when he signed oft-injured Nick Johnson to a free agent contract this past off-season. Barely a month into the season, those doubts have come to fruition.

Johnson, who missed most of the 2008 season due to a torn sheath tendon in his right wrist, was placed on the DL earlier this month after the wrist flared up again. A cortisone shot was administered, but it did not achieve the desired result. So Johnson will have surgery on an unspecified date.

At a minimum, the Yankees’ designated hitter will miss 4-6 weeks. That means increased at-bats for Marcus Thames, Randy Winn, and Ramiro Pena as manager Joe Girardi rotates his players through the DH role.

You have to figure that Cashman will also be watching the waiver wire and making some phone calls in case Johnson is expected to be out longer, or if the current squad comes up short offensively.

The only thing that is known for sure is that Johnson won’t be making any contributions until late July/early August at the soonest.

Sunday in the Park With George..Steinbrenner

Gorgeous Sunday in the metro area. Sergio Mitre will have the task of beating the Twins once again. And he'll have a Bat Day crowd watching, so he'd better be go.

Bat Day was, and possibly still is, the best promotion day of all time. I was supposed to go in 1971, but got salmonella and had to miss it. But...back then there were two Bat Days in a season. I made it to the second one and got THE bat. A Bobby Murcer bat. Awesome. My sister also got one, which I eventually got a hold of as well. I used one to play baseball with and preserved the other.

The highlight of Bat Day was when Bob Sheppard would ask everyone in the crowd to raise their bats high in the air. Those 14-and under in the crowd of 55,000 would immediately do so. There was also the "off-label" use of the bats, protection on the way home through bad neighborhoods.

* * *

Brett Gardner is having a fabulous season. Yesterday he stole his 17th base in 18 tries, despite the fact that Joe Mauer's throw appeared to have him dead to rights. But Gardner managed to elude the tag of Orlando Hudson and then a re-tag after he slid passed 2nd base.

Marc Carig of the Star Ledger has a nice profile on the Yankees speedy outfielder.

* * *

Nick Johnson received a cortisone shot in his troublesome wrist, but surgery has not been ruled out.

Curtis Granderson has begun running, but is expected to miss another two weeks.

Chan Ho Park will be activated today with Ivan Nova the likely candidate to be sent down.

* * *

Former Yankee Curtis Pride continues to inspire others.

There's a New Sheriff in Town

On one side was the crusty old gunslinger. On the other side, the kid trying to prove himself in a hell hole. At the end of the night it was the old gunslinger who lost his composure and started firing stray bullets and it was the kid who remained tried and true. Old John Wayne movie? Nah, just the first of a three game set between the Yankees and Red Sox in Fenway Park.

Josh Beckett, not so old, but plenty crusty, started out like a house afire. He struck out five of the first six Yankees. But as the night wore on, the veteran right-hander lost control. Nick Swisher drove a hanging curveball from Beckett in the 4th over the wall in center for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

Beckett completely fell apart in the 6th, and though scoring, the Yankees weren't happy about it. Joe Girardi's squad had already lost Nick Johnson to a wrist injury (more on that further down) when Robinson Cano took a Beckett cutter to the inside of his left knee. Cano tried to stay in the game, but left shortly thereafter for a pinch-runner. He told the media after the game he wanted to get out before it felt worse. Girardi later said he wouldn't be surprised if Cano has to miss a game or two.

With two aboard and one out, the Red Sox elected to intentionally walk Brett Gardner to load the bases and set up a potential double play. But Beckett's 3-2 fastball nearly knocked Francisco Cervelli on his behind and forced in a run. Cervelli was visibly disgusted as he moved towards first base, having been dusted earlier in the game for calling a timeout when Beckett (or Suckett as I prefer) was about to pitch.

After a Randy Winn single gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead, Beckett drilled Derek Jeter in the back to force in another run. It also brought the Yankees bench to the top step of the dugout where Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia were among those jawing at the Red Sox starter.

After run producing singles by Marcus Thames and Mark Teixeira, Sox manager Terry Francona finally pulled his ace from the game. Afterwards, Beckett told the media he wasn't sure why he lost his command so quickly, and the Yankees Derek Jeter said there was no way Beckett was throwing out him with the bases loaded.

It will be interesting to see though if anything develops over the final two games. Once cooler heads prevail, it's quite possible the Yankees will feel Beckett really wasn't throwing at them and will let things go. Or they'll feel it doesn't matter whether it was on purpose or not and someone on the Red Sox will have to eat some rawhide. I have to agree with Michael Kay (yeah, it happens) that Beckett's expression and demeanor certainly were not of a guy who cared about where his pitches were going at that point.

Lost in all this, of course, was the terrific job once again done by Phil Hughes. He improved to 4-0 with a stellar seven innings of work. He allowed a pair of runs, scattered seven hits, walked one, and struck out seven. He had great command of all his pitches and made more than a few Red Sox look silly at the plate.

Notes

Nick Johnson will be placed on the DL and was being sent back to New York to evaluate his right wrist. It's been bothering him for a while, but felt worse after Johnson took some swings in Friday night's game.

Prior to the game, the Yankees sent down outfielder Greg Golson and brought up pitcher Romulo Sanchez. The Yankees will bring up a player for Saturday's game, likely an infielder to help out with Cano hurting. It's possible Juan Miranda will eventually get a call too with Johnson on the DL.

Jolly St. Nick

I don't know if he's a saint, but it appears Nick Johnson will be back in a Yankees uniform in 2010. That according to reports earlier today that Johnson and the Yankees are completing a 1-yr deal worth $5.5 million. Since Johnson will be the primary DH that also means that Johnny Damon is likely done wearing the pinstripes.

Johnson played for the Yankees from 2001-2003 before being shipped to the Montreal Expos as part of a package for right-handed starter Javier Vazquez. He averaged 14 home runs and 52 RBI in the latter two years. He spent last season with the Nationals before being dealt to the Florida Marlins at the trade deadline.

Johnson has been on the disabled list a number of times and that marked a good portion of his time in New York as well as while he was an up and coming prospect. His best year was in 2006 while a member of the Washington Nationals. He had career highs in average (.290), OPS (.948), home runs (23), and RBI (77). His high on-base percentage and ability to produce runs fits right into the Yankees' game plan.

Johnson not only replaces Hideki Matsui, who signed with the LA Angels, in the lineup, but also as a left-handed bat that can hit-left-handed pitching. He's a career .292 hitter against southpaws, including .316 last season.

Trade Winds Not Strong Thus Far

Sure, there are plenty of MLB Trade Rumors out there, but how many major deals will really be pulled off? With teams scaling back on the free agent market, there's been no sign to indicate things will change for the in-season trading period. Other than Roy Halladay, nothing is a given, and even the Halladay deal will only get done if the Blue Jays get a fair return.

More minor deals, like the one that sent infielder Felipe Lopez from Arizona to Milwaukee yesterday, are likely to occur.

So it's time to look at some of the various rumors and what might go down over the next 11 days.

Roy Halladay - As we alluded to, there are some obstacles to a Halladay deal getting done. Besides fair market value, the Blue Jays will not allow any team a window to negotiate a new deal with Doc. Halladay must also approve his point of destination. SI's Jon Heyman still feels that the Phillies are the favorites to land the ace, with prospects Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald, and Carlos Carrasco being discussed. So far though, the Phillies have been unwilling to include Drabek in any deal. (If only the Yankees had kept Kyle's father Doug when they obtained Rick Rhoden from Pittsburgh in 1986.)

Jon also mentioned on his Twitter acc't that Halladay's preferences (according to pal) are: 1. win. 2. quiet. 3. spring in fla.; thinks he'd OK Phil, Stl, NY, Bos, etc.

For the Yankees to pull off a deal it would take Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, Austin Jackson, and Jesus Montero or Francisco Cervelli. The Yankees have reportedly asked Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi to give them a chance to match or beat any deal.

Adam Dunn - There are teams looking for a 1st baseman/DH, but not many that want to pick up the remainder of Dunn's 2-year, $20 million deal that he signed prior to this season. The Daily News' Adam Rubin reported today that Nats' GM Mike Rizzo is insisting the Nats won't deal Dunn, but it's hard to believe they wouldn't consider it. Fanhouse's Ed Price reported last week that the Tigers had interested in Dunn, but couldn't work out the financial part of the deal.

Red Sox hot corners - With Mike Lowell's injured hip continuing to give him trouble, the Red Sox are in the market for a replacement 3rd baseman or a 1st baseman that would enable Kevin Youkilis to slide across the diamond. Possibilities could be the Nats' Nick Johnson, Rockies corner man Garrett Atkins (though the Rockies asking high price is very high at the moment), O's Aubrey Huff

Bullpen Help: There's never a time that a major league ball club couldn't improve their pen. That's one of the reasons the O's have been inundated with calls for closer George Sherrill, who could be moved back to a set up spot if dealt. The LA Times reports the Angels have been talking to the O's about Sherrill, but Baltimore is looking for 2 top prospects in return.

Pesky Nats Nip Yankees

Yankees Comeback Thwarted in 9th

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: adam dunn • Alex Rodriguez • Derek Jeter • Interleague Play • john lannan • Johnny Damon • Nick Johnson • Robinson Cano • Yankees 6/17 recap • Yankees vs. Nationals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Washington	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0		3	7	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1		2	4	0

WP - Lannan (4-5) SV - MacDougal (1) LP - Wang (0-5)

Robinson Cano had a marvelous day and night on Tuesday and was looking to repeat his feat as hero in last night’s Yankees game. Down 3-2 to in the 9th to the Washington Nationals, the Yankees had runners on the corners with one out and the hot Cano at the plate. He had a great at-bat against hard throwing Mike MacDougal, fouling off one pitch after another, but ultimately McDougal won the battle. Cano bounced into a game ending 6-4-3 double play, much to the chagrin of the 46,000+ in attendance. The loss also left the Yankees with a split of the first two games of a three game series with the worst team in baseball.

New papa Chien-Ming Wang took the hill for the Yankees with the weight of his pitching future resting squarely on his shoulders. He showed some improvement - allowed 3 runs in 5 innings, his longest start of the season - but didn’t have his best velocity and still left pitches in the hitting zone. As MLB Network Studio Analyst (and YES announcer) Al Leiter pointed out afterwards, Wang was still not coming over the top on his pitches, causing his sinker to tail rather than dart down. One of this pitches was ripped by former Yankee Nick Johnson to the gap in left-center and just out of the reach of a diving Melky Cabrera in the 5th inning. The resulting 2-run triple proved to be the difference in the ball game. Adam Dunn had given the Nats a 1-0 lead in the 4th with his 18th home run of the year.

The Yankees struggled against the Nats’ top starter John Lannan, who defeated the Mets in the Nats last trip to the Big Apple. He held the Yankees hitless until the 5th when Cano broke up the no-no and got the Yankees on the scoreboard with his 12th home run of the year. Johnny Damon doubled with one out in the 6th, but was stranded.

The Yankees finally doubled their hit output in the 9th when Damon cut the deficit to a single run with his 14th home run of the year and one out later, Mark Teixeira singled. With MacDougal on in relief, pinch-runner Brett Gardner stole 2nd and 3rd base to put the tying run 90 ft. away. McDougal walked Alex Rodriguez and things were set up for Cano. But you can’t be a hero every night.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter sat out the game as a precaution after leaving Tuesday’s game with a stiff ankle. He is expected to play today, though the 1:05 p.m. ET start will probably be a washout.

Brett Gardner’s 2 steals made him successful in 14 of 16 attempts. Imagine if he were a .300 hitter.

Principal Cano, Don'tcha Know

Yankees Capitalize on Cano’s Big Night

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Brian bruney • cc sabathia • elijah dukes • mariano rivera • Nick Johnson • Robinson Cano • Ron Villone • Ryan Zimmerman • shairon martis • Yankees 6/16 recap • Yankees vs. Nationals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Washington	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0		3	6	1
NY Yankees	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	1	X		5	8	0

WP - Sabathia (6-4) SV - Rivera (15) LP - Villone (3-4)

Robinson Cano spent Tuesday afternoon at P.S. 55 in the Bronx as the school’s honorary principal. Tuesday night he schooled the Washington Nationals, going 4-4 with the game winning RBI and made several stellar plays in the field in the Yankees 5-3 victory.

The Yankees fell behind 3-2 in the 5th inning when CC Sabathia surrendered a 3-run home run to Anderson Hernandez. It was the first home run of the year for the former Met. But the Yankees jumped on one of their former players, Ron Villone, in the 7th inning. Johnny Damon led off with a single and scored from first when Mark Teixeira’s blast to left-center eluded a leaping Elijah Dukes for an RBI double.

Villone struck out Alex Rodriguez, but Cano’s hit a line drive over the head of Dukes, who misjudged the ball, to put the Yankees on top 4-3. Cano was credited with a double, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

Sabathia retired the first two hitters in the 8th before walking Nick Johnson with his 109th pitch. Joe Girardi called on Brian Bruney, who kept his mouth shut and retired Ryan Zimmerman to end the inning. The Yankees tacked on a run in the bottom half of the inning against Nats’ reliever Mike McDougal.

Hideki Matsui drew a lead off walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Brett Gardner. The speedy outfielder stole second base, moved to third on Nick Swisher’s ground out and scored on Ramiro Pena’s bloop over the drawn in infield. Pena had entered the game in the 7th for Derek Jeter, who left with stiffness in his left ankle.

Mariano Rivera converted his 11th straight save opportunity with a 1-2-3 9th inning. It was his 15th save of the season and number 497 all time.

Game Notes

The Yankees defense was on his display tonight. In addition to Cano’s glove work, Melky Cabrera made a diving ice cream cone catch in center, and Pena looked smooth on the game’s final play- a grounder up the middle that he ranged far to his left on, spun around and fired a strike to first base.

In addition to Nick Johnson and Villone, the Nationals roster also includes former Yankees Alberto Gonzalez and Wil Nieves.

Yankees’ first round draft pick Slade Heathcott attended the game and took batting practice beforehand.

New daddy Chien-Ming Wang goes for the Yankees on Wednesday in what could be his last start if he doesn’t show some improvement. Left-hander John Lannan starts for Washington.

Window Shopping

Today we take a look at the NY Mets in our continuing series, "The Trade Winds are Starting to Blow". The Mets are the first BUYER that we'll be delving into. They sit atop the NL East today, a half-game in front of the World Champion/division rival Philadelphia Phillies.

A rash of injuries and ineffective performances have put the Mets into a shopping position. How quickly they pull the trigger, is a completely different story.

Nick Johnson - Mets fans are in love with the former Yankee right now. It's one of the rare times in his career that Johnson isn't on the disabled list. With Carlos Delgado out indefinitely with hip surgery, Johnson would be a great fit. He's hitting .337 with 4 HR and 26 RBI. Imagine how many RBI he could have with a real team around him rather than the 20-games-under-.500 Nationals. He's also a top notch fielder, who could help take away some of David Wright's throwing errors.

Mark DeRosa - Just about on everyone's wish list, DeRosa would be play 1st Base and outfield for the Mets, and occasionally fill in for Wright or 2nd Baseman Luis Castillo.

Bobby Abreu - Abreu's on a one year, $5 million deal with the Angels. At some point, the Angels are going to have to start playing better or fold up the tents. He would be an ideal fit in the Mets outfield.

Jason Marquis, John Garland - The Mets, like everyone else, would like to get Cliff Lee, but don't have the chips to do it. They do need to strengthen their starting rotation, however, and could swing a deal for Marquis, or possibly Garland.

Pedro Martinez - You just get the feeling that this could still be a possibility. The Mets let him walk this past off-season and laughed at the notion of giving Pedro a guaranteed $5 million. He hasn't thrown in a game since this past Winter's WBC, but some team will snatch him up if the price is right., Though we deem this a long shot, we could see Pedro back in Flushing under the right circumstances.

Hump Day Hot Stove

Either Andy Pettitte is trying to force the Yankees' hand or he really just wants to pitch anywhere (or make some more bucks). Ken Rosenthal says that Pettitte's agents are looking around for other possibilities, Joe Torre's Dodgers included. We've always loved Pettitte, but we have no problem if he moves on. He's not the pitcher he once was and he's certainly not nearly worth the money he's seeking.

ESPN reported last night that the Angels were readying an offer to CC Sabathia that would rival the money the Yankees reportedly offered up. If money is no object, CC will likely land on the left coast.

The Boston Herald reports that the Angels are willing to deal one of their catchers, either Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli, and Boston could be the destination. We can't imagine the Angels relying on Mathis for their full-time needs.

The Dodgers said they will not try to further entice Manny Ramirez with money. LA has reportedly made a 2-year, $45 million proposal.

Billy Beane likes On-Base Percentage guys, and Nick Johnson is one of them. Beane has asked for the oft-injured Johnson's medical records from the Nats to pursue a possible deal.

Hump Day Hot Stove

Either Andy Pettitte is trying to force the Yankees' hand or he really just wants to pitch anywhere (or make some more bucks). Ken Rosenthal says that Pettitte's agents are looking around for other possibilities, Joe Torre's Dodgers included. We've always loved Pettitte, but we have no problem if he moves on. He's not the pitcher he once was and he's certainly not nearly worth the money he's seeking.

ESPN reported last night that the Angels were readying an offer to CC Sabathia that would rival the money the Yankees reportedly offered up. If money is no object, CC will likely land on the left coast.

The Boston Herald reports that the Angels are willing to deal one of their catchers, either Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli, and Boston could be the destination. We can't imagine the Angels relying on Mathis for their full-time needs.

The Dodgers said they will not try to further entice Manny Ramirez with money. LA has reportedly made a 2-year, $45 million proposal.

Billy Beane likes On-Base Percentage guys, and Nick Johnson is one of them. Beane has asked for the oft-injured Johnson's medical records from the Nats to pursue a possible deal.

Around the Horn - 6/24

Limited schedule last night, but some interesting match ups none the less.

Felix Hernandez belted a grand slam off of Johan Santana, but sprained his ankle one out shy of 5 innings. The bullpen did its his job in his place and the Mariners beat the Mets 5-2.

Another duel in Fenway between the Diamondbacks Dan Haren and the Red Sox Josh Beckett. Chris Young and Chris Snyder each drove in a run in the 7th to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 win. The Red Sox also lost 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis in the game when a between inning warm up throw from Mike Lowell resulted in a black eye.

John Lackey missed the beginning of the season with arm trouble, but he looks like his old self on the mound. Last night he dominated the Nationals over 8 innings in the Angels 3-2 win. K-Rod picked up his 31st save after Garrett Anderson's 8th inning single snapped a 2-2 tie.

The Royals are loving interleague play. They're now 10-3 after beating up on the Rockies 8-4. Mark Teahen's 1st inning, 3-run home run got KC off to a fast start. Brian Bannister allowed 3 unearned runs in 7 innings for his 6th win.

The American League now holds a 99-77 advantage in this year's play.

In intralague play, Mike Cameron belted a 2-run home run to lead the Brewers over the Braves 4-1. Ben Sheets tossed a complete game 4-hitter and struck out 7.


News

Looking to beef up their squad, the Indians signed veterans Tony Graffanino and Juan Rincon to minor league deals.

Poor Nick Johnson's season is done again. The Nats 1st baseman will have surgery on his wrist to repair a torn ligament.

Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard may be headed back to the DL with a bad back, according to the Seattle Times.

It was done under the radar, compared to the Willie Randolph firing, but the Mets may have made a significant move when they hired Wayne Krivsky as assistant GM. Owner Fred Wilpon said GM Omar Minaya is doing a "great job", but ya never know.

Around the Horn - 6/24

Limited schedule last night, but some interesting match ups none the less.

Felix Hernandez belted a grand slam off of Johan Santana, but sprained his ankle one out shy of 5 innings. The bullpen did its his job in his place and the Mariners beat the Mets 5-2.

Another duel in Fenway between the Diamondbacks Dan Haren and the Red Sox Josh Beckett. Chris Young and Chris Snyder each drove in a run in the 7th to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 win. The Red Sox also lost 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis in the game when a between inning warm up throw from Mike Lowell resulted in a black eye.

John Lackey missed the beginning of the season with arm trouble, but he looks like his old self on the mound. Last night he dominated the Nationals over 8 innings in the Angels 3-2 win. K-Rod picked up his 31st save after Garrett Anderson's 8th inning single snapped a 2-2 tie.

The Royals are loving interleague play. They're now 10-3 after beating up on the Rockies 8-4. Mark Teahen's 1st inning, 3-run home run got KC off to a fast start. Brian Bannister allowed 3 unearned runs in 7 innings for his 6th win.

The American League now holds a 99-77 advantage in this year's play.

In intralague play, Mike Cameron belted a 2-run home run to lead the Brewers over the Braves 4-1. Ben Sheets tossed a complete game 4-hitter and struck out 7.


News

Looking to beef up their squad, the Indians signed veterans Tony Graffanino and Juan Rincon to minor league deals.

Poor Nick Johnson's season is done again. The Nats 1st baseman will have surgery on his wrist to repair a torn ligament.

Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard may be headed back to the DL with a bad back, according to the Seattle Times.

It was done under the radar, compared to the Willie Randolph firing, but the Mets may have made a significant move when they hired Wayne Krivsky as assistant GM. Owner Fred Wilpon said GM Omar Minaya is doing a "great job", but ya never know.

Nicked Up Again

Poor Nick Johnson. Just when you think it's safe for him to step out on a baseball diamond again, he gets hurt.

This time it's a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist. He'll be out a minimum of 4-6 weeks.

Band-Aid or Neosporin should hire this guy to do commercials.

Nicked Up Again

Poor Nick Johnson. Just when you think it's safe for him to step out on a baseball diamond again, he gets hurt.

This time it's a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist. He'll be out a minimum of 4-6 weeks.

Band-Aid or Neosporin should hire this guy to do commercials.